1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer modules with flat panel displays (FPDs), and particularly to liquid crystal display (LCD) modules installed in a peripheral device bay of a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many computer systems, including personal computers, workstations, servers, and embedded systems are designed to have multiple peripheral devices included in the system. A typical personal computer system includes a processor, associated memory and control logic and a number of peripheral devices that provide input and output (I/O) for the system. Such peripheral devices include, for example, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives, hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, and other mass storage devices such as tape drives, compact disk recordable (CD-R) drives or digital video/versatile disk (DVD) drives. Additionally, computer systems often have the capability to interface with external enclosures that include additional peripheral devices.
A network server is a focal point for processing and storage in a network, as the network server is responsible for distribution of application programs and data to client computer systems. Server computer systems often require a feature on the front of the server to communicate critical system status information, e.g. component failure, network status, and peripheral operation, to the user. Communicating other, non-critical information to the user is another useful feature found in servers. A flat panel display (FPD) such as a multi-character or dot-matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) provides a good vehicle for displaying both critical and non-critical system information. Consequently many servers incorporate an LCD on the front of the server chassis.
However, incorporating an FPD into a servers proves to be a challenge for several reasons. Computer system form factors generally, and server form factors in particular, continue to get smaller, leaving little or no space on the front of the system for an FPD unit and leaving little or no space within the chassis to accommodate the display's support electronics. Moreover, some server form factors are designed to be convertible, by rotating the chassis 90.degree., for use as a vertically oriented tower system or a horizontally oriented desktop or rack-mounted system. In order to properly display information via an FPD, the display unit should remain horizontal to the user. Allowing the FPD to remain horizontal after the server is rotated for the required customer orientation requires the FPD unit to be rotatable relative to the server. A rotatable FPD unit requires more space than a fixed FPD unit, and adds to the complexity and cost of the device.
Additionally, servers with FPD units can be located in a variety of different positions relative to a convenient viewing position for a user. For example, a rack-mounted server including an FPD unit can be mounted at the bottom of a rack. Consequently, a user who is standing and looking down at the display may have difficulty reading it because of the viewing angle. Under these circumstances, the user is forced to adapt to the FPD unit's location, inconveniencing the user and generally detracting from the server's ease of use.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an FPD unit that can be properly oriented for viewing regardless of the orientation of the computer system in which it is mounted. It is also desirable that such an FPD unit consume as little additional space inside and on the front of the computer system in which it is mounted, and that the FPD is viewable from a variety of angles, thereby minimizing a user's need to adapt his or her viewing position.